The Jets took off the gloves yesterday, launching a legal assault against Cablevision with a federal lawsuit that charges the company is violating antitrust laws to keep a stranglehold monopoly on sports and entertainment events.

Star lawyer David Boies, hired by the Jets, accused Cablevision of “lobbing” a $600 million counter-offer at the MTA last month purely to disrupt the team’s plans for a stadium and with no real interest in developing the rail yards.

“They’re actually putting in sham bids to disrupt the process by which the Jets are attempting to negotiate for an opportunity to come in and compete with them in the [sports and entertainment] facilities market,” Boies charged.

Boies said the tactic behind the Cablevision plan violates antitrust laws because it is not designed to win the right to develop the rail yards into housing, as the company claims, but to wreck the efforts of a potential competitor.

The $1.7 billion stadium at 11th Avenue and 33rd Street would double as a convention center and could be configured for use as a 40,000-seat indoor arena – twice the size of the aging Madison Square Garden.

Boies said Cablevision’s only interest is protecting its monopoly on large venues, leaving New Yorkers with fewer choices and higher prices.

“It allows them to charge New Yorkers more for every event that they go to and to earn more money,” he said.

The lawsuit also targets Cablevision for its refusal to allow the Jets to buy advertising time on its networks.

A Cablevision spokesman accused the Jets of tossing a Hail Mary pass.

“We consider this no more than a desperate publicity stunt by the Jets and their fresh batch of lawyers to try to improperly influence the MTA’s competitive bid process with lies, disinformation and lawsuits that will fail,” said company spokesman Charles Schueler.

Cablevision made a blockbuster move to offer the MTA $600 million – not including the cost of building a subway platform – for development rights above the rail yards. The maneuver forced the transit agency to put off a deal with the Jets alone and to solicit bids from developers.

Monday is the deadline for submitting bids. The MTA board could pick a developer as early as its March 31 meeting.

The Jets had offered $100 million for the 13-acre site. Both the Jets and Cablevision are preparing new bids.

The lawsuit will try to hit Cablevision for the cost of damages by delaying the stadium project.

Boies said the Jets have already invested $50 million into developing the West Side plan and that every year of delays will cost the team at least $100 million in added costs.

Meanwhile, Jets officials denied that team president Jay Cross made a serious offer to buy Giants Stadium from New Jersey.

“There is not a bid to buy Giants stadium. There has been an off-the-cheek comment in a conversation between two longtime business associates,” said Jets chief Counsel Andrew Lee.

‘Trust’-buster

Key charges in the Jets’ antitrust lawsuit against Cablevision:

* A $600 million counter-offer to develop the MTA rail yards was a “sham” launched by Cablevision to block the stadium.

* Through its monopoly of cable-TV systems, Cablevision has blocked Jet ads, leaving viewers with only one side of the story.

* Cablevision is acting illegally to protect a monopoly that allows the company to charge higher ticket prices at Madison Square Garden.